1. Field of the Invention
The present invention pertains generally to scaffolding supported upon and external to a shaft, and more particularly pertains to a leveling hunting stand system for providing a substantially level platform and seat regardless of the orientation and geometry of the structure upon which the stand is mounted.
2. Description of the Related Art
Man has hunted various animals since prehistoric times, and his very existence undoubtedly depended upon his success or failure. With modern ranching and farming, hunting is no longer necessary for the survival of mankind. Instead, modern wildlife management most preferably ensures populations of various species are controlled at levels that are healthy and sustainable. As a result, hunting has evolved into a sport that allows individuals to challenge themselves in a way that can be very enjoyable, while still providing beneficial food and wildlife species population management.
In order for the sport to be more enjoyable, and simultaneously safer for the hunter, various factors must be considered by each hunter. One of these is how the hunter will encounter the game animals. One technique is to move about at ground level, with the intent to surprise or flush out the game. Unfortunately, large game animals have extremely keen senses, and this technique more frequently will lead to the animals fleeing from and staying beyond the range of the hunter. Furthermore, this movement along the ground can be extremely dangerous for the hunter. Traveling along the ground greatly increases the risk of accidental gun discharges, and since there may be other hunters about, there is an increased risk of the hunter on the ground being mistaken for game by another hunter.
Many hunters over the years have come to gain advantage over game animals by taking advantage of a weakness that most of these animals have. Most large game animals do not detect hunters when the hunters remain relatively still and elevated above the ground. Consequently, the hunter may position himself in a tree or upon another support that raises above the ground, where he can wait. Particularly when the hunter is near a well-used trail, the game animals will traverse the ground and come near to the elevated hunter, rather than the hunter moving to the game. This allows the hunter to slowly and gently elevate his gun without the game detecting the movement.
Unfortunately, there is no way for the hunter to know how quickly the game animals will come near. Consequently, the hunter may commonly spend large amounts of time in the tree waiting. To best endure these long waiting periods, and retain the enjoyment and safety of the sport, the hunter will most desirably be as comfortable as reasonably possible. Rather than simply climb the tree and sit in the branches, which can be quite uncomfortable, dangerous and limiting with regard to optimum positioning, artisans have long designed various stands to support the hunter.
These stands range from very basic seats that are mounted to poles or trees to large, partially or fully enclosed shelters. Where an individual owns the land or can otherwise construct permanent structures, and where the individual is also familiar with the movement of the game, it is commonplace for a hunter to construct a relatively large and semi-permanent structure. However, a large structure is extremely difficult to move between locations, assemble and elevate, and so is of little or no value for hunters who are not able to leave the stand up in between hunting excursions, or for hunters who are less familiar with the patterns of the game on the land being hunted. As is well known, a trail that may be frequently traversed by game during one part of the year may be abandoned during another part of the year. Consequently, a small and lightweight stand is very much preferred or required by many hunters. In contrast to the large shelters, a number of artisans have designed small, lightweight and portable seats that may be used for hunting. Exemplary of these are U.S. Pat. No. 3,115,213 by Cloutier, entitled “Portable seat”; U.S. Pat. No. 3,944,279 by Blackstock et al, entitled “Hunter's seat”; U.S. Pat. No. 4,582,168 by Frey, entitled “Hunter's tree seat”; and U.S. Pat. No. 6,328,131 by Backus, entitled “Roll-up tree seat”; the contents and teachings of each which are incorporated herein by reference. While these seats offer much flexibility missing in larger shelters, they require placement next to a foot rest, such as a branch, to that the hunter does not remain with feet dangling for extended periods. Unfortunately, this very placement can interfere with the ability of the hunter to sight an animal, since the branch that the hunter is resting his feet on may block the line of sight to the animal. While U.S. Pat. No. 3,396,818 by Moragne, entitled “Animal stand”, the teachings and content which are incorporated herein by reference, addresses the foot rest, there is no space for the hunter to store or rest anything, including any food, beverage, or even the weapon being used by the hunter. As a result, these simple seats are undesirably basic and so detract from the sport.
Many conventional hunting stands incorporate both a seat and a platform, and so provide both a foot rest and support for additional gear, accessories, food, beverage and the like. Most are designed for mounting to upstanding members such as trees, poles, and other generally vertically oriented structures. However, few trees grow perfectly “plumb” or vertical, making many trees unsuitable for a conventional hunting stand. These conventional hunting stands, when hung in a non-vertical tree, slant dangerously in both the platform and seat, presenting a serious hazard to the hunter using the stand. Conventional stands mounted on tree surfaces also commonly shift and pivot when a hunter shifts his or her weight, which may lead to a serious fall or accidental gun discharge.
A few artisans have recognized the need for an adjustable tree stand that compensates for a leaning tree. Among these are U.S. Pat. No. 6,571,916 by Swanson, entitled “Fully adjustable hunting tree stand”; U.S. published application 2007/0151803 by D'Acquisto, entitled “Offset treesstand mounting bracket”; and 2006/0196726 by Pestrue, entitled “Leveling device for use with a tree stand, tree stand incorporating same, and method of using same”; the teachings and contents of each which are incorporated herein by reference. In addition to the teachings of these other artisans, the teachings and contents of my U.S. Pat. No. 5,927,437, entitled “Universal hunting stand”; and U.S. Pat. No. 6,367,585, entitled “Adjustable hunting stand system”; which also illustrate adjustable tree stands that compensate for a leaning tree or support, are incorporated herein by reference. Unfortunately, these prior art adjustable stands are limited to tilt or rotation in a single plane, which presents undesirable limitation.
In addition to the aforementioned patents, Webster's New Universal Unabridged Dictionary, Second Edition copyright 1983, is incorporated herein by reference in entirety for the definitions of words and terms used herein.